Air distribution devices and grilles



April 1963 E. F. AVERILL 3,087,410

AIR DISTRIBUTION DEVICES AND GRILLES Filed June 6, 1960 Fl I g l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

EUGENE F. AVERILL BY ATT'YS April 30, 1963 E. F. AVERILL I AIRDISTRIBUTION DEVICESAND GRILLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1960 III LIL I III [H1 ME I III FIG. 7

III 1 II] I III III I III I III I Ill 1 ll] INVENTOR: EUGENE F. AVERILL I m I HI 1 III ATT'YS Efidlfild Patented Apr. 30, 1963 3 087 410 Am msrnrsorrori nrlvicas AND GRILLES Eugene F. Averill, Waterloo, Iowa, assignor to Titus Mauufacturing Corporation, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed June 6, 1960, Ser. No. 34,145 3 Claims. (Cl. 98-114) This invention, in general, relates to grilles formed by spaced bars or vanes. The grilles of my invention may serve as, for example, architectural or ornamental grilles, sidewalk gratings, stair treads, shading louvers, protective bars at banking or other windows or openings, drain grates, partitions, fences, grilles in various types of outlets or the like. My invention also relates toone special adaptation of these grilles in air distribution outlets utilizing a grille in the outlet opening.

Briefly, my invention provides grilles in which the bars or vanes are mounted on one or more supporting members by a simpler method than the conventional tech- Fan-like or other After the hollow member is placed in the holes of spaced bars or vanes, a mandrel having spaced ribs about the periphery is forced through the hollow member in a manner so as to form spaced flutes on the inside of the hollow member. At the same time, this process causes the formation of small, longitudinal ribs on the outer surface of the hollow member. These ribs are pressed against the inside Walls of the holes in the spaced bars or vanes to provide a tight, frictional fit between the rib portions and the inside walls of the holes. In this manner, a grille unit can be formed with the hollow member or members serving as the supporting structure for the bars or vanes.

The grillwork so formed may thereafter be mounted in the frame of an air distributing device in accordance with one aspect of the invention. Briefly, these air distributing devices comprise a frame adapted to fit about an opening in the wall, floor or ceiling of a room. This frame forms a passageway for air to pass therethrough. The device has, contiguous to the front face of the frame and positioned within the passageway in the framework,

a grille.

My invention is described in more detail with reference to specific, illustrative embodiments thereof. These specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a rectangular air distributing device;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same device;

FIG. 3 is a magnified view taken through a tubular supporting member on section 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is the top plan view of the air distributing device;

FIG. 6 is aplan view of a grille; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of another grille.

The outlet of FIGS. 1-5 comprises a metal frame 1 of generally rectangular configuration having horizontal trapezoidal front face plates 2, 3 and vertical, trapezoidal which abut at their ends and form a rectangular passageway adapted to be connected with the terminal end of the duct work of an air heating, cooling and/ or ventilating system. The frame 1 is made into a rigid structure by welding, soldering or brazing applied on the rear face of the frame at the corners 10 and also on the corners 11 of the rearwardly-extending segments 6-9.

Within the passageway formed by the segments 6-9 is mounted a grille member made up of spaced bars or vanes 12. These vanes are held in fixed relation to each other on hollow members having a length approximately equal to the height of the opening of the passageway. The hollow members are shown in the illustrated embodiment in the form of hollow tubes 13. These tubes extend through aligned holes in the bars or vanes 12 in close fitting relationship with said holes. A tight friction fit between the bars or vanes 12 and the tubes 13 is achieved by distortinng at spaced points the outer surface of the hollow tubes 13 so as to form longitudinallyextending ribs 14. At the places Where the ribs 14 are formed, the outer surface of the tubular members 13 are in tight frictional contact with the holes of the bars or vanes 12. The walls of the holes may also be slightly depressed, especially in the case of soft metals, such as aluminum.

The grillwork is formed by placing the bars or vanes 12 in a jig and inserting the tubes 13 through aligned holes predrilled in the bars or vanes 12. A mandrel having a plurality of spaced ribs of a radius slightly larger than the radius of the tubes is forced through the tubular members in a longitudinal direction. This procedure results in the formation of flutes or grooves 17 at spaced points in the inner walls of the tubes 13 and simultaneously results in the formation of longitudinal ribs 14 on the exterior Walls of the tubes. These ribs are minor distortions in the cylindrical surface of the tube and cause the outer walls of the tubular member 13 to expand tightly against the inner walls of the holes of the bars or vanes 12. The amount by which the outer walls are thus expand-ed at spaced intervals is sufficient to tightly hold the bars or vanes 12 on the tubular members 13. This gives a rigid assembly of spaced bars or vanes mounted on the tubular supporting members 13.

-As a specific example of one relationship between the mandrel and the tubular member 13, a tube having a A" internal diameter and outside diameter is inserted through holes in the bars or vanes 12 of slightly more than diameter. The body of the mandrel is (LOIS-0.016" smaller in diameter than the 4" internal diameter of the tube 13. The mandrel has ribs which are 0.028 larger than the 4 internal diameter.

Thereafter, the grillwork thus formed is assembled in the frame 1 by driving four pins 15 through holes in segments 6 and 7 into the four open en-ds of the two 5 tubes 13 with a tight, friction fit between the pins and front face plates 4, 5 making up a frame around the central air passage. Each of the segments 2-5 has a rearwardly-extending rectangular part 6-9, respectively,

tubes. The assembled sir distributing device is a rigid structure whose parts are not subject to vibration by air passing therethrough.

As an alternate method of manufacture, the frame in which the grille is supported may be provided with holes aligned with the holes of the spaced bars or vanes and the hollow supporting members may extend through the holes in the frame. Then the mandrel can be pushed through the hollow member to cause it to expand at spaced points in the form of longitudinal ribs so that the outer side of the hollow member expands against the inside walls of the holes of the bars or vanes and also the inside walls of the holes of the frame member itself.

The invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. There are various modifications to which my invention is equally applicable. For example, instead of a rectangular or square frame and corresponding opening,

the frame may be circular, oval, triangular or other desired shape. Similarly, the passageway for the air formed by the rearwardly-extending portions may be of the same shape. It is further not required that the hollow members 13 be round. They may be hollow members having a flattened tubular form, or they may be rectangular, e.g., square, hollow members, triangular hollow members or oval hollow members. Also, especially in large grilles, a reinforcing bar can be inserted into the hollow supporting members after formation of the longitudinal ribs to give the supporting members additional rigidity. Also, the bars or vanes 13 may have other shapes and may be positioned at an angle with relation to the direction of air flow for deflecting the air in a desired direction.

The grille used in the outlet of FIGS. l-S is shown separately in FIG. 6. This grille also has other uses, e.g., as stair treads, protective grillwork for windows or other openings, drain grates, etc. Shading louvers can be made by placing the bars on the supporting members with the bars turned about their longitudinal axes, e.g., about 20-60 from the position shown in FIG. 6.

The grille of FIG. 7 is especially useful as sidewalk grating or drain grating. It has a plurality of bars 19 mounted on a single hollow supporting tube or mullion 18 in the manner previously described. In this case, the ends of the bars 19 are free and in use are supported by the edges of the opening over which the grating is placed. The hollow member 18 contains a reinforcing rod (not shown) which is inserted to give greater strength to the tubular member. There are many other modifications of grilles made in accordance with the invention. To name a few, the bars or vanes may be supported on three or even more hollow supporting memhere. The bars or vanes may be cut to give an outline for the grille which is oval, circular or other shape instead of the rectangular shapes of FIGS. 6 and 7. Many other modifications in shapes of the parts of the grilles or outlines of the grille units may be employed in the practice of the spirit and scope of the invention herein described and claimed.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. An air distributing device comprising a rectangular frame having a front face and rearwardly-extending sides defining a rectangular passage, a grille in said passage including spaced, parallel bars having aligned holes, a tube extending through said aligned holes, circumferentially-spaced, longitudinal ribs on the outer surface of said tube, said ribs pressing against the walls of said holes to fix the bars on said tube, and pins extending through holes in said sides and being wedged into said tube at each end thereof to hold said tube in said frame.

2. An air distribution grille comprising a rectangular grille made up of a series of spaced, metal grille bars extending parallel to each other the length of said grille and defining therebetween parallel air passages through said grille, said grille bars having near each end thereof a cylindrical hole therein which is aligned with, and of equal size to, the others of said holes in each respective end of said bars to form a first and second series of aligned holes through said bars, a first, thin-walled tube of an outer diameter slightly less than the diameters of said first series of aligned holesextending through said firstseries of holes, a second tube of an outer diameter slightly less than the diameters of said second series of aligned holes extending through said second series of holes, the inside Wall of each of said tubes being fluted longitudinally with a plurality of circumferentially spaced grooves of small but sufiicient magnitude to distort the outer surface of each tube into a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs which press against the cylindrical walls of said cylindrical holes and fixedly hold said bars on said tubes, and a rectangular frame having a front face and rearwardly-extending sides defining an air passage containing said grille, said rearw-ardly-extending sides having apertures therein aligned with the open ends of said tubes, and a pin extending through each aperture and wedged in the respective open end of said tubes to fixedly mount said grille in said frame.

3. -An .air distributing device comprising a frame having a front face and rearwardly extending sides defining a passage, a grille in said passage including spaced, parallel bars having-aligned holes, a tube extending through said aligned holes, circumferentially-spaced longitudinal ribs on the outer surface of said tube, said ribs pressing against the Walls of said holes to fix the bars on said tube, and means engaging said frame and the ends of the tube for securing said grille to the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,774,231 Harnsberger Aug. 26, 1930.

1,873,052 Seward Aug. 23, 1932 2,211,568 Henney Aug. 13, 1940 2,327,703 Freden Aug, 24, 1943 2,565,836 Alt Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 332,455 Great Britain July 24, 1930 

2. AN AIR DISTRIBUTION GRILLE COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR GRILLE MADE UP OF A SERIES OF SPACED, METAL GRILLE BARS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER THE LENGTH OF SAID GRILLE AND DEFINING THEREBETWEEN PARALLEL AIR PASSAGES THROUGH SAID GRILLE, SAID GRILLE BARS HAVING NEAR EACH END THEREOF A CYLINDRICAL HOLE THEREIN WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH, AND OF EQUAL SIZE TO, THE OTHERS OF SAID HOLES IN EACH RESPECTIVE END OF SAID BARS TO FORM A FIRST AND SECOND SERIES OF ALIGNED HOLES THROUGH SAID BARS, A FIRST, THIN-WALLED TUBE OF AN OUTER DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETERS OF SAID FIRST SERIES OF ALIGNED HOLES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FIRST SERIES OF HOLES, A SECOND TUBE OF AN OUTER DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETERS OF SAID SECOND SERIES OF ALIGNED HOLES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SECOND SERIES OF HOLES, THE INSIDE WALL OF EACH OF SAID TUBES BEING FLUTED LONGITUDINALLY WITH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED GROOVES OF SMALL BUT SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO DISTORT THE OUTER SURFACE OF EACH TUBE INTO A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RIBS WHICH PRESS AGAINST THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL HOLES AND FIXEDLY HOLD SAID BARS ON SAID TUBES, AND A RECTANGULAR FRAME HAVING A FRONT FACE AND REARWARDLY-EXTENDING SIDES DEFINING AN AIR PASSAGE CONTAINING SAID GRILLE, SAID REARWARDLY-EXTENDING SIDES HAVING APERTURES THEREIN ALIGNED WITH THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID TUBES, AND A PIN EXTENDING THROUGH EACH APERTURE AND WEDGED IN THE RESPECTIVE OPEN END OF SAID TUBES TO FIXEDLY MOUNT SAID GRILLE IN SAID FRAME. 